Door-operating mechanism.



No. 840,757. PATENTED JAN; a, 1907.

v P. DITGHPIBLD. :5 DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21.1995.

- a SHEETS-SHEET 1 wrrflessss INVENTOR Lama/55m, 3M4 0" 1n: NORRIS PETERS co., wlsmmzrcu I c WITNESSES F. DITOHFIELD. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

A}PLIOAT!0N FILED MAR. 21,}905.

PATENTED JAN; 8, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1g 0 o 0 Q L o o o 01 F. DITGHPIELD. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21,1905.

15 showing the detail of. construction.

4 brackets.

A UNITED STATES PATENT A orrion FRANK DITCHFIELD, OF BELLEVUE, ENNSYL ANIA, AS SIGNOR TO. PRESSED STEEL cAR COMPANY, OF PLTTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

"noon-OPERATING MECHANISM.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

Application filed March 21,1965. Serial No. 251.220.

ating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accom anying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which igure 1 is a view, part of which is in end to elevation and part in vertical section, showing my door-operating mechanism, one of the doors being shown in open position by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the car. F 1g. 3 1s a sectional view, on a larger scale, Fi 4 ils a vertical cross-section on the line IV H of 1g. 3.- 1 In the drawings, 2 represents the center 8111 of a car, 3 is the side sill, and 4 4 are 2 doors 1n the bottom of the car,'which are hinged at suitable points 5 and are adapted to swing vertically into 0 en and closed 0- sitions. The car is usual y provided with a number of these doors arranged in line at 2 5 both sides of the center sill. For the purpose of operating them I employmain operatingshafts 6 6 on each side of the center sill. Each shaft is preferably made in halves, each half extending, preferably, half the length of 3 the car and being provided at one or both end sills with squared portions for attachment of crank-handles and with holdingpawls 7 or other suitable locking mechanism.

At each door and preferably journaled in brackets 8 on the several bolsters and transoms are sprocket-wheels 9, the axes of which are journaled in bearings in downwardly-pro'ecting forked portions of the (in each side of the brackets a crank-arm 10 is fixed to the axis of the spro cket-wheel, being held thereto by squared s afts 11, which extend through the axes of the sprockets and are held to the arms by bolts 12. These arms are preferably provided at their ends with rollers 13, which engage with the doors, plates or shapes 14 being preferably applied to the doors to constitute wearing-surfaces. As

5 the doors are on o 'posite sides of the bracket,

each of the cran arms engages a separate door.

All the sprockets are connected by sprocket-chains 15 with sprocket-wheels 16 on the main operating-shafts 6, so that by turning this shaft all the sprocket-wheels 16 and the sprockets 9 with which they are ingear are operated simultaneously, and the crank-arms-are thusrotated, the extent of the rotation being approximately about a onehalf revolution. Whenthe crank-arms are in their downwardly-projecting positions, as shown by dotted linesin Fig. 3, the doors which rest on the rollers -13 are open; but if the main shaft be rotated so as to turnthe crank-arms 'in the direction of the arrow the engagement of therollers with the doors will raise the doors into the closed position, (shown by full lines,) in which position the crank-arms are preferably .inclined slightly inside the vertical. Sto s 17 are provided to limit the motion of t e crank-arms, and the load on the door will force the crank-arm against its stop. and thus prevent accidental opemng.

The mechanism is very simple and durable and constitutes an effective means for operating the car-doors. As the sprocket-wheels are driven from a main shaft each sprocket may be ofa suitable length to correspond to the depth of the bolster or transom to which it is applied, and, if desired, the main operating-shafts may be extended from end to end of the car and they may be located along the sides of the car instead of being near the center sill.

Within the scope of my invention as defined in the claims the parts may be modified in many ways, since What I claim is 1. Door-operating mechanism comprising a main operating-shaft, another rock-shaft having a crank-arm, a swinging door actuated by the crank-arm, said door and arm swinging in the same or parallel planes, and an actuating connection between the main operating-shaft and the crank-arm shaft; substantially as described.

2. Door-operating mechanism comprising a longitudinal power-shaft, a series of separated shafts parallel therewith, each having a crank-arm, swinging doors actuated by sa d crank-arms, said doors andarms swinging in the same or parallel planes, and actuatlng crank-arms engaging the door, said crank-- arms moving slightly inside the vertical when in closed position, and stops for the arms in such position; substantially as described.

5. In door-operating mechanism, aswinging cranl -arm, flexible connections arranged to turn the arm, and a sto for the arm in closed position, said stop eingstationary relatively to the crank-arm shaft; substantially as described.

6. In door-operating mechanism, ashortshaft having an intermediate sprocket-wheel, crank-arms secured to the shaft on opposite sides of the sprocket-wheel, and se 'arate doors engaged y the crank-arms; su stantially as described.

7. Door-operating mechanism comprising two crank-arms on the same rotary support, a sprocket-wheel on the support betweenthe crank-arms, and a chain arranged to turnthe sprocket; substantially as described.

8. A car having two doors, a bearing supported .on the frame between said doors, a shaft carried in the bearingand having crankv I "h arms engaging both doors, and a separate power-shaft having actuating connection with the said crank-arm shaft; substantially as described.

9. A car having a series of doors in its floor arranged to swing downwardly and inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of the car, a longitudinal operating-shaft near the longitudinal axis of the car, rocking crankarms beneath the series of doors and swing ing in parallel planes with the paths of said doors, and actuating connections from the powershaft arranged to rock said crankarms; substantially as described.

10. A car having downwardly and inwardly swinging doors in: its floor, a longitudinal power-shaft extending below the floor near the hinged ends of the doors, a series of stub-shafts outside of and parallel with the power-shaft, cranlearnison the stub-shafts, and flexible connections from the powershaft arrangedtosimultaneously rock the series of stub-shafts substantially as described.

11. A car having aiseries of doors in. its' floor arranged toswing in parallel planes, crank-arms arranged tooperate the doors and swinging in parallel lanes therewith, separated stub shafts for ;t ecranlnarms, and a power-shaft having actuating connections with several ofsaidstub-shafts; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have my hand.

hereunto set FRANK DITCHFIELD.

Witnesses:

K. L. ROBINSON, B.. FISHER. 

